Amid calls to rethink the reopening of liquor shops from celebrities and activists. as incidents of domestic violence are on the rise during the lockdown, director and filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma was slammed for his “sexist” and “misogynistic” tweet accompanied with a photo of women standing outside an alcohol store.
“Look who is in line at wine shops...So much for protecting women against drunk men,” tweeted Varma.
Minutes after his tweet, journalist Prajwal Bhatt, who clicked the photo said that the police official on duty made the women stand together for their “protection.”
Varma’s Tweet Slammed
Several Twitter users took to the platform to call out Varma’s tweet, calling it out for “reeking of sexism” and being based on “misplaced morality.”
315 Domestic Violence Complaints In April
Earlier, celebrities like Javed Akhtar called for the government to rethink the reopening of liquor shops.
“Opening liquor shops during the lockdown will only bring disastrous results. In any case, according to all the surveys nowadays, domestic violence has increased to a large extent. Liquor will make these days even more dangerous for women and children,” Javed wrote in a tweet.
The 315 complaints were received online and on WhatsApp and no complaint was received by post in April 2020 by the National Commission for Women (NCW). Despite that, the complaints were highest since August last year, the NCW data showed.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)